The Mustard Seed Principle

Mark 4:30-32 (NKJV)

Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

In this parable, the Lord Jesus is endeavouring to communicate spiritual truths of the Kingdom by using natural illustrations. He is comparing the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed. Though the mustard seed is small and insignificant to look at it has life and great potential hidden within it if we are willing to work with it.

Through this parable, our Lord is communicating to us a spiritual principle, that if we do not despise what is small and insignificant in the eyes of man He is able to bring life and greatness out of it. Throughout the scriptures, we are taught that: “God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.”–1 Corinthians 1:28 (NLT)

The Lord Jesus also demonstrated this principle to us over and over again. He took the five loaves and the two fish and fed thousands with them. Andrew and the rest of the disciples looked at the five loaves and the two fish and said “ what are they among so many?”– John 6:9 (NKJV) The disciples despised and rejected them because what was given was so little compared to the great need they had.Jesus though received them with thanks and blessed them feeding thousands with them. He showed us that if we have faith in God we can take what is small and insignificant in the eyes of man and do great things with them.

He took twelve ignorant and uneducated men and made great apostles out of them turning the world upside down. The Lord wants us to see what others fail to see. He is training us to see the hidden potential not only in people but also in what we have been given and not despise or reject them based on physical appearance.

In II Kings chapter 4 a widow comes to Elisha the prophet heavily in debt. The creditors are threatening to take her sons away and sell them to pay the debt. Under the inspiration of the Spirit the prophet asks her what has she got in her house. She said that she had only a little jar of oil. He gave her instructions as to what to do with the little bit of oil she had. As she responded by faith in obedience to the prophet not only was her debt paid but she had enough money to live for the rest of her life.

Faith in God and His word takes what is little and insignificant and turns it into a multiplied blessing. Too many times we complain about the things we don’t have rather than being thankful as we focus on what we do have.